A voice from the Islands

There was a wonderful sunset this afternoon ,despite Tropical Storm Gustav been only 140 miles east of Jamaica’s most easterly point, Morant Point. Radio Jamaica is reporting:
Odpem
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is opening its national operations centre at its Camp Road, Kingston office.

ODPEM said it will be focusing its attention on shelters situated on the north coast as this is the projected path of Tropical Storm Gustav.

"Coming out of all the subcommittee meetings and the briefing of the national response team, we are moving now to publish the list of 140 emergency shelters across the island but it will begin to focus primarily and those within the north coast since it is expected to be the primary area that will come into contact with the (Tropical Storm)," said Director General of the ODPEM Ronald Jackson.

Northern parishes

And with Jamaica's north coast likely to be affected by the outer bands of Tropical Storm Gustav, residents of the state run St. Ann infirmary are being moved.

This is due to expected storm surges which are projected to affect the infirmary which is situated by the coast.

This is one of a series of steps being undertaken by the Local Government Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister following Tuesday's meeting of the National Disaster Committee.

State Minister responsible for Local Government Reform Bobby Montaque said special measures have been implemented for northern parishes.

"All shelter managers in critical such as St. Thomas, Portland, the Annotto Bay, Port Maria and Oracabessa areas of St. Mary, Ocho Rios and St Anns Bay in St. Ann have been notified," he said.

Mr. Montaque added that Prime Minister Bruce Golding has authorised the release of $100,000 Jamaican dollars to each emergency operations centre to purchase supplies.

Additionally, steps are being taken to clear drains in Portland Cottage in Clarendon and sections of Ocho Rios which are prone to flooding.

Clarendon ready for Gustav

Chairman of the Clarendon Parish Council Milton Brown said the Parish Disaster Committee is in a state of readiness.

Mayor Brown said he was confident that the parish's response mechanism was fully activated in preparation of the Tropical Storm Gustav.

"The last time we had difficulty, the response was poor ... in this instance, all indications are that all agencies and stakeholders are ready for any eventuality," he said.

Legislation needed to prevent building in flood areas

And speaking in his capacity as Chairman of the Association of Local Government Authorities Mr. Brown said the time has come for the government to enact legislation which bars persons from constructing houses in flood-prone areas.

Mr. Brown's call comes against the background of persons rebuilding houses in Rocky Point, Clarendon which was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

He said the government has been wasting too much money relocating persons in the aftermath of hurricanes.

"In the past, we've asked them voluntarily to move out of these areas but many refuse to do so ... we're hoping that it will be legislated.

We're working to ensure that some alternative be provided and they will be willing to leave and save themselves and their families the disaster that remaining will surely entail," said in Mr. Brown.

Ports to close
As Tropical Storm Gustav bears down on Jamaica, the Port Authority of Jamaica has announced that it will close some ports along the North Coast.

The Port Antonio, Portland, Ocho Rios and Discovery Bay in St. Ann, Rio Bueno in Trelawny and Montego Bay, St. James ports will be closed at 2pm Wednesday.

The ports will reopen for business at 6am Thursday if the weather permits.

The ports along the South Coast including Kingston will remain open but will be on standby in the event that the system takes a turn toward the island.

The Port Authority of Jamaica said it will continue to monitor Gustav's progress and provide further updates as necessary.

Prisons closed

Meanwhile, all visits to correctional facilities have been suspended.

The Department of Correctional Services said due to the threat of Gustav, there will be no visits from Wednesday until further notice.

NWA focusing on Palisadoes Road

With Gustav expected to experience dump heavy rains on Jamaica, the National Works Agency (NWA) said it is paying extra attention to the Palisadoes Road in Kingston which is prone to flooding.

The NWA said measures have been instituted to protect the most vulnerable sections of that road.

"In recent weeks we've done work on that corridor ... there were two pieces of revetment and we're working on making that one continuous revetment.

There are two areas that were low lying and problematic for motorist and the agency and we have been able to complete the revetment in these two areas," said the NWA's Communication Manager Stephen Shaw.

Flights going in and out of JA

Air Jamaica will not be cancelling flights despite Gustav being in close proximity to the island.

Air Jamaica Chairman Shirley Williams said based on the projected path of the system there is no need to change flight schedules.

"My information is that there's no need at this time for any cancellation whether south bound or north bound between today and tomorrow," she said.
TS Gustav will impact tourism sector - JHTA

The local tourism sector is bracing for some fallout due to the threat of Tropical Storm Gustav.

President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Wayne Cummings said while there have been no reports of hotel bookings being cancelled, the sector will experience losses in other areas.

Mr. Cummings pointed to the recent diversion of a major cruise ship from Montego Bay, St. James to Mexico.

"There's going to be a fallout, even in the event that the (Tropical Storm) miraculously turns and go away ... yes, there will an economic fallout ... but we want to make sure that even those persons who would have suffer a loss from it, are taking certain precautions right now," said Mr. Cummings.

news stories courtesy of radiojamaica.